


DestinyX

by Xandyflare



Series: Reign of Shadows [2]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Amnesia, Eventual Romance, F/M, Forsaken spoilers, Spin-Off, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-08-05 09:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16365365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xandyflare/pseuds/Xandyflare
Summary: After the events of Fire Emblem X, Liberty wakes up damaged and alone, with no memory or name to go by. Over the course of five years, she makes a new identity for herself. Look into snippets of her life while she goes from the Maverick Princess Liberty to Lucy the Guardian.





	1. Reset Memories

_"You certainly have improved, princess."_  
  
 _"I have nothing better to do, cooped up in this place."_  
  
 _"It is a harsh lesson to teach a young child like you, but...War is not simply the games you played with your sister, father, or Marth, princess. War takes lives, destroys peace and happiness. And it will never go away. War will go on as long as there are people fueled by hate. And there is always hate-filled people, willing to do anything for justice or revenge."  
  
_ _"I don't understand. Who's controlling our armies into doing such a terrible thing? And does Marth not trust me?"_  
  
 _"Imagine it like this. Imagine that you have an apple tree."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
"The apple tree usually produces good fruit. However, one day, it produces bad fruit. Would you cut it down and plant a new tree because of that, or throw out the bad ones and let it grow some more apples?"  
  
"Um...Hm...Throw out the bad ones!"_  
  
 _"Yea, yea! See what I mean? Both are solutions to the problem, but cutting down the apple tree will make you not have apples until the tree grows again, while throwing out the bad ones will let good apples grow again! So...Repair! Not rebuild!"  
  
"Are you unharmed, princess?"  
  
"Y...Yea. I'm fine. This is really what fighting is like? It's nothing like the games I played..."  
  
"War is not a game, and it never will be. Who taught you that?"  
  
_ _"My sister's bodyguard, of cou_ rse,"  
  
 _"Well, they're wrong."  
  
"Did we have to win this way? Killing so many people...Can't we negotiate a peace or a surrender?"  
  
"It's...hard to explain why I like war. I enjoy popping off the heads of Mavericks. And at the same time, when I put enough thought in it...It disgusts me. The way I shrug off deaths. I mean, am I supposed to feel anything? ...That's the key to surviving in war. Don't feel anything. I know, it sounds harsh, but...It's the only way."  
  
"Come on."  
  
"To where?"  
  
"The infirmary. Not gonna let a new friend die on me."  
  
"Princess, you JUST beat me up, and I nearly killed you. How am I your friend?"  
  
"I was always told I was the heart of the family. I guess it's just easy to forgive people."  
  
"Marth, listen to me. In this life, she's happy, too. Me, her, and my father...we were inseparable. Our bonds were stronger than your blade. And now that my father is gone, I want to help save what's left."  
  
"I shouldn't have attacked him like that. I don't know what happened to me. It was automatic."  
  
"Liberty, you only were protecting your allies. There was no settling for peace once he stabbed Axl. You did the right thing."  
  
"Princess, Fox is a deceiving man. I believe you know first hand. He could try and turn friends into enemies. And seeing his success rate recently...It might actually work."  
  
"What?! But...how could he do that?! I trust all of you!"  
  
"And that may be one of your greatest flaws. You're...too nice and trustworthy. We're in a war, princess. Trusting the unknown will only get you killed."  
  
"Well, I trusted all of you! And I convinced Lumine to let you stay!"  
  
"You got lucky a lot of times. If I wasn't the assassin hired to kill you, and if you had spared them, you would have your throat slit in your sleep."  
  
"Echo...Are you saying I shouldn't have saved you?"  
  
"You shouldn't have. I appreciated it, and I still owe you, but you shouldn't have."  
  
"...Alright."  
  
"I couldn't find her. She wasn't anywhere."  
  
"Okay...That doesn't mean she could be missing...Can anyone call her?"  
  
"It's saying there's an error! Her line isn't patching through!"  
  
"Okay, that definitely means there's something wrong. Everyone, split up! We need to find her! LIBERTY? LIBERTYYYYY!"_  
  
The torrent of disembodied voices, the glass faces which held no meaning, swirled in her head. Data of a lost life was being deleted every millisecond, the whole history of a young girl vanishing in mere swipes.  
  
None of the voices were familiar, yet...she has heard them before. But from where? And which disembodied voices go to the glass faces that have no detail, no memory behind them?  
  
Like water, the answers, along with the questions, slipped through her fingers. Down, down into a pool of forgetfulness, the sea of lost memories, taking parts of her with them that can be replaced, but never recovered.  
  
She could feel her systems starting to activate. Warnings of heavy damage flashed in her. Like she didn't know that already.  
  
Somehow, her cracked retinas were forced open. One has been damaged for a very long time, crucial components in it lost. It would never be repaired, forever a glassy blue with a scar going down.  
  
Her other eye barely gave her any vision problems, just an annoying crack going down. The blinding sun made her think it was damaged at first, but a few blinks proved it was merely a lens flare.  
  
Injuries were all over her body. Both coolant and synthetic blood mixed to make a foul maroon that stained the dry and almost lifeless ground. Gashes from what can presumed to be a fruitless battle were all over, soaking into her torn black bodysuit. Her brown hair was more ragged than usual, sticking up as if a tornado went through it and doubled back for more. White and magenta armor was chipped and worn.  
  
With one arm, she managed to push herself upwards into a sitting position. With her still available eye, she surveyed herself and the area around her. Both things were strikingly unfamiliar.  
  
"...Where am I?"  
  
In fact, everything was new. There was not a single scrap of data in her that formed an identity, or even a second of a memory. In a slightly desperate bid, she tried to call something, anything to mind.  
  
"WHO am I?"  
  
All that came were fading words. A female's, venomous and malicious.  
  
 _"We went your way. Now, we will do mine. I will take the princess out of the picture. Dead or alive."_  
  
Even that seemed to vanish in a pop. She spent a few seconds trying to figure out what exactly she was trying to recall before she pressed her foot to the ground and pushed herself onto her feet.  
  
Her systems nearly overloaded when she did. Quickly leaning herself on one of the many remains of a car besides her, her vision glitched, warnings popping up in multitude. Is this what humans felt like when they were sick?  
  
Regardless, she put one shaky foot in front of the other. After about a dozen steps, she found a comfortable motion, and managed to walk upright, not needing any support.  
  
At first, she thought she was alone. It definitely looked like she was. However, as she moved on, she became aware there was something else, and looked around.  
  
There was the cocking of a gun. "Drop on the ground!" A woman's voice rang out.  
  
Immediately, the young girl did so, covering her head. Her vision swam when she did so, but it probably would have been worse if she continued standing.  
  
The hidden assailant suddenly opened fire, and the girl looked up to see a spray of bullets hitting something that was certainly about to kill her. It looked almost like a bug, with human-like features aside from having four arms and the fact that it was neither really the height or all-around shape of a human.  
  
Whatever it was, it was gunned down by whoever was...saving her? She couldn't really tell. Regardless, judging by the resulting noises and screeches, there were more.  
  
There was the pitter-patter of feet, and all of a sudden, somebody in foreign armor was next to the girl, hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Hey. You alright? Looks like they did a number on you."  
  
So those bugs hurt her like this? For some reason, she doubted it, but she shrugged that off. "I'm fine. I think. What...What are those?"  
  
"Fallen." Another spray of bullets took down a few more lunging at them. "Nasty things, I tell you. They practically own the Cosmodome, at this rate. How do you not know them?"  
  
"I-I don't know. I just...woke up. I don't remember anything!"  
  
"...Quite talkative for a Guardian, then, aren't ya?" The woman commented.  
  
"What's a Guardian?"  
  
She continued firing. "Shouldn't your Ghost tell you these things? Or are you one of those rare cases where your Ghost got shot before one word really drifted out?"  
  
"...What's a Ghost?"  
  
"Alright, you're one. Good to know." Finally, the woman got up from her crouching position, gun barrel smoking. She looked around, the screeches gone, but bodies now there. "You're lucky I was in the vicinity, and noticed the Fallen noticed you. I don't think you know, but they aren't friendly towards your kind. Or friendly to...well, anybody, really."  
  
The girl forced herself up again. "Who...exactly are you?"  
  
"Name's Madelyn. I lead some men who help lost people to the Last City."  
  
"I'm guessing that would be the last city in this place?" The girl guessed.  
  
"Gee, how'd you figure that out? Well, how about you? Did you get a name?"  
  
"...No."  
  
"Right. Sometimes, Guardians don't even come back with names. It's almost sad to see those ones wander around, and even have the chance of getting killed before they learn of their true purpose." Madelyn looked wistful for a moment. Then, she turned back to give a grin. "I'm just here to make sure that doesn't happen to guys like you."  
  
"You're going to take me to the City?"  
  
"Well, what else? You think I'm just gonna leave you here after all that? Come on." Madelyn started walking forward, the girl limping after. "Now, I see you might have killed some robots."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"There's coolant all over you."  
  
"Wait, uh...That's from me."  
  
Madelyn paused and turned on her heel. After looking up and down the girl, she snorted. "Well, whaddaya know? It is. You got some sort of chameleon chip on or something, Exo?"  
  
"Nothing like that is turned on at the moment."  
  
"Then...What exactly ARE you? You look human, yet...You know what, not my business. I'm just supposed to send you on your way to your new home."  
  
"And how exactly will you do that?" The young girl looked around, ready for more Fallen to appear.  
  
Madelyn suddenly stopped the girl. "With that."  
  
Before them laid a vehicle. It hovered gently above the ground, staying suspended in the air. Sleek purple and black designs adorned it, matching the dark purple shade of Madelyn's hair tied tightly into a bun.  
  
The woman strode over to it, and threw one leg over to sit in it. "Well? Get on."  
  
"Wouldn't I get all this over you?" The girl gestured to the maroon mixture still staining her body.  
  
"Eh. I'll be fine. Now, come on. Let's not wait for any more Fallen to rear their ugly heads."  
  
Limping over, the young girl fit herself behind Madelyn. Gripping her tightly, she looked a bit nervous as the vehicle rose up, then shot off with little to no warning, leaving her to clutch to the mysterious woman for dear life.  
  
After the initial fear faded, the girl marveled at everything around her. While everything was destroyed, old and abandoned by life centuries ago, it seemed almost beautiful in a way.  
  
She just wished this really wasn't her first memory.


	2. A Cup of Ramen

  
The shop was small, but not cramped. It would be an overstatement to say it was empty. There was the occasional person there, but that was it.  
  
There was also the strange girl in the corner.  
  
Lately, the City's been attracting more strange people. The citizens of the last safe home in the Solar System found themselves adjusting to that, whether it be by simply ignoring them or befriending them. Though nobody found it in themselves to even talk to some strange breed of human and Exo who sat herself down in the corner, opened up a panel in her arm, and tried to fix the delicate wiring with her clumsy hands.  
  
Her presence was jarring enough that once the shop's prized customer walked in, he could practically feel the change in the air. It was thick enough that he could reach out and grab it. Blue optics swiveled around the room, trying to pick out what has altered it all so badly.  
  
It wasn't hard. Not only did her looks stick out like a sore thumb, the place was quiet enough so you could hear every stray spark that flew up from the broken panels and her muttered breaths of frustration. The new guest nearly let out a laugh at her so-called swears, seeming to be more like of a kid's. He didn't even hear a damn.  
  
While giving a hello and a nod to the one behind the counter, he sauntered on over to the table in the corner, which luckily had two seats. Knocking on the hardwood counter twice, he got her attention fairly easy. "Mind if I help out?"  
  
"Who are you?" She questioned, head popping up at the charming voice.  
  
"Cayde-6 of the Hunter Vanguard. A pleasure." The girl found the way that his throat lit up every time he talked interesting, blinking in surprise as the Exo grabbed the other chair and pulled it so he sat next to the girl.  
  
She watched with mild intrigue as he took her arm. He was obviously as intrigued as everyone else in the shop, the wires new and intricate. "So, uh...Name?"  
  
She watched him start to fiddle around. "Don't have one."  
  
"Alright, then. You're lookin' all pink, so I'll just go with Pinky." Cayde yanked his hand back when a spark drifted out and landed on his finger. "Aye!"  
  
"This is just a result of coolant and synthetic blood mixing. It's more maroon."  
  
"Meant the armor, Pinky." The Exo's head popped up from tilting forward to investigate the wires and frames. "Wait, synthetic blood? Just what kind of Exo are you?"  
  
"I don't know. I literally have no memory files."  
  
Cayde made a click with his tongue, shaking his head. "Memory loss. I've suffered through that. It's, uh...not fun, you know what I'm sayin'? You know, I have no idea what exactly I'm fixin' right now."  
  
"You know, I don't know ei-Oh." She stops mid-sentence, because as soon as Cayde connected the last wire, the words 'Repair systems online' flash in her eyes.  
  
"What? What is it? ...Hold on, what the crap is happenin'?" Cayde grips her arm, peering close.  
  
His glimmering optics just happened to catch the beginning of her repair systems kicking in. The edges of the wounds began to fade back into synthetic skin, not even leaving a scar. It left behind an almost shimmery effect that disappeared almost immediately.  
  
"Self-repair systems..." The girl mused. "That must mean something good, right?"  
  
"Uh...Judgin' by all these nicks slowly closin' up...Yea. It's good." Cayde let go of her arm, letting it drop to her side. "You hungry? I'm not, but I like eating some ramen anyways."  
  
"Ramen...Okay. Sure. I'll have some."  
  
"Wonderful!" Cayde stood up and went off. After a good minute or so, he came back with two bowls. "Don't worry about the pay. It's on me."  
  
"Thank you, Cayde-6!" The girl smiled, deciding to dig in.  
  
"Hey, no problem, Pinky. You looked to be in a bind, and I decided to help you out. That being said..." Cayde gulped down a bite. "You have somewhere to go, right?"  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean a place to crash! Like, an apartment or a house! You do have somethin', right?"  
  
"Um...No," the girl admitted. "I just came here recently. I'm still in a bit of a bind. I barely even know what's going on in this place, much less the currency, the people, any sort of social hierarchy..."  
  
"Then I guess I'm still gonna have to babysit you for the day! Don't you worry! After this, ol' Cayde here's gonna make sure you clean yourself up, have a nice set of clothes, and a roof over your head!"  
  
The girl was certainly embarrassed, the grime on her face doing nothing to hide the blush. "R-Really now, I can make do on my own!"  
  
Cayde seemed to observe her. "Hm...Nope. Don't think so. Sorry, Pinky. By Vanguard declaration, the decision's final. Hope you're okay with that."  
  
The girl was certainly embarrassed. "I, uh...Don't know what to say. Thank you."  
  
"No problem. Now, eat up. It's gonna get cold, and we're gonna be busy for the next few hours."


	3. Starts With an L

Letting out a sigh, the girl released the pained gasp she held when the water hit her bare skin. The wounds were not completely closed, not big enough to get water into her vital component parts, but big enough to make them sting when the shower head spurt out the warm water within it.

There was no shampoo in the small shower. Why would there be? Cayde had no hair. Regardless, she scrubbed hard to try and get out all the grime and blood from her hair, wondering why exactly she had it if she was robotic.

Her eye's crack has been repaired, allowing her to see clearly again. She used it well to her advantage when it came to forcefully scrubbing off both coolant and blood off of her body. Thankfully, Cayde had something for that, which came in the form of a sponge specifically made for Exos.

The poor Hunter Vanguard was clueless. In his mind, he thought the girl had an Exo-like body like his, with not really much shame to have. So, without any warning, he peered into the foggy bathroom. "You doin' alright, Pinky?"

And he was met face to face with the body of a young adult, curves and all, in the shower, and fully undressed.

He deserved the scream and the first thing the girl getting her hands on, the sponge, thrown in his face. "GET OUT! OH MY GOD!"

Cayde stuttered like crazy. He would for sure be blushing by now. Covering his face with one hand, he tossed the sponge back. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Oh sweet cotton socks, Pinky, I am so, soooo sorry!"

While the shower still ran, Cayde had his head in his hands. He sat on the only couch in his apartment-esque room, positively flustered to no end. She was obviously one who knew how to fight, judging by her battle wounds, and there was no telling whether or not she would kick him straight into space once she gets back in her clothes and-

Oh, no. Oh, sweet Traveler, have mercy.

He threw away her clothes.

"CAYDE, WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?!" On cue, he could hear the girl he called Pinky screaming from the bathroom.

He immediately bolted to his feet, diving for where he kept his engrams. "Hey, HEY! PINKY! LET'S CALM DOWN!"

"CALM DOWN?! THOSE WERE THE ONLY CLOTHES I HAD!"

"HEY, I GOT SPARES!" Cayde checked one of the engraves to form white and magenta gloves. Looking over the color, he nodded to himself and put it aside. "JUST WAIT, I'LL BE WITH YOU IN A MINUTE!"

After a few minutes, going through all the engrams he had and resulting with a matching set of white and magenta colors-just like her worn armor, he commented to himself-he gathered the engrams in his arms and went over to the bathroom door.

"Okay. I'm goin' to give you some engrams that have some spare cloths of mine in them. If you don't know how engrams work, just tell me. Okay?"

"...'Kay." The girl slowly cracked the door open, and a bare hand stuck out to grip the first engram that Cayde passed her. "...Is this an orb?"

"Look, I'm not passin' it one at a time. Just..." Cayde forced the other engrams through the door, looking away at the same time. "Just take them all, okay?"

"...Cayde, these are all orbs. How do they have clothes in them?"

"You'll figure it out. Trust me." Cayde resumed to sitting at the couch, crossing one leg over the other.

It took a few seconds, probably about ten, but he could hear the sound of an engram activating and a surprised 'Oh!', so he knew she figured it out. He did get a little worried when there was a mischievous giggle and the sound of multiple engrams activating at once, but he only countered in his mind with 'if she soaks 'em, she'll regret it'.

It took quite a long time for her to get dressed. Cayde wondered almost half heartedly if all women took this long to get into a simple set of clothes, then thought to asking himself if it would be okay to ask the girl that before the door opened.

He looked over his shoulder, now basically chilling on his couch. "So, how does it fiiiiii..." Cayde trailed off, his lower jaw dropping.

Her hair was partially dried, showing how beautiful and shiny it can be as it cascaded down her back. The helmet itself was under her arm as she walked out, wearing a Hunter's outfit composed of white and magenta all over. Her cape was a flowing garment of white, trailing behind her to evident that, while it fit her, may be a size too big.

"Well, these clothes are certainly more comfortable than what I was wearing." The girl shrugged. "Thanks."

"..." Cayde let out a wolf whistle, finger gun raising to point at her. "You. Are rockin' that."

"Thanks for the compliment." The lady smirked. "Mind if I take a seat?"

The Exo shuffled over, giving her room. "I don't mind at all. Go ahead."

She plopped down right next to Cayde. Arms spreading out on the couch and legs crossing just like him, she looked ahead, smiling. It seemed to be a content smile, showing she was happy, and could relax for a bit.

"Thanks a lot, Cayde-6. Or Cayde. Can I call you Cayde?"

"Everyone does. Nobody really puts the six behind it. It's really just there for show. You see, when an Exo gets rebooted, they lose all memories and their past self. The number just states how many times you've been rebooted."

"...So I'm on my first reboot," she guessed. "...I think."

"Nailed it. With that being said, you might need a name to put that number on. Can't really have you goin' around nameless."

"True," the girl mused, letting her head rest against the couch. "But what should I do? Make up a name?"

"Well...Sometimes, you're really, really lucky. You got somebody that remembers your name for you, or you remember it on your own. You...don't have that person, do you?"

"...No. I did wake up alone, and on the verge of death."

"So, it's on you. Do you remember anythin' about your name?"

"...Well..." She thought for a good few seconds. Then, like as if she had grasped it suddenly, she smiled. "I think it started with an L."

"Then let's start from there." Cayde leaned forward. "Lavender? Lady? Lakshmi? Come on, there's gotta be somethin'."

"...L..." The girl tested it out. "...Li...Liiiiiiiii..."

"Li...Li, Li, Li...Lu...Lucy?" Cayde guessed.

She started at that, as if she had been shocked. "...Lucy. Lucy, it sounds familiar, but...a little off. It's not it, and yet...is. I don't know."

"Well, do you like it? Yes or no?"

"Um, I mean, yea. Sort of."

"Then your name's Lucy now, Pinky! Congratulations!" Cayde clapped for her.

"...Lucy..." She repeated. "Lu...cy...Yea." She finally nodded. "Lucy. I like Lucy."

"Hey, if it helps, I like it, too." Cayde shrugged aimlessly. "Lucy-1..."

The newly christened Lucy-1 stayed quiet, looking ahead. She glanced out the window, noticing the last rays of the sun were starting to fade from sight.

She stood up. "Well. It's about time I left."

"Huh? Where are you going?"

"I don't know. Somewhere? I mean, it's getting dark."

Cayde raised a finger. "Uh...No. You have stated that you have no place to stay. Why would I just let out walk out so you can sleep in a trash can?"

"Because it's rude to ask if you can crash on somebody's couch?" Lucy guessed.

"True. Yes. That is sometimes true. But I don't mind. I mean, I can get you set up with somethin' in the morning, but, uh...As you said. Getting dark. So...You can stay with me for the night. Then, we'll figure out whatever in the morning. What do you say, Pinky?"

Lucy paused before huffing. "Not like I have a choice."

"Wonderful." Cayde gestured down the small hall. "Bedroom's that way."

"You have a second bedroom?"

"Nope. I'm sleepin' on the couch."

Lucy looked partially shocked and almost disgusted. "Cayde-6! That's your bed! You don't have to do that for me!"

"No, no, no. I insist. Who am I to sentence a lady to the lumpy and worn couch?"

"Well, I'm no lady. I'm a woman. And I choose to sleep..." Lucy plopped herself on the couch. "Here."

Cayde looked as if he would argue, but he raised his hands in defense. "Alright. Alright. The guest is always right. But don't come whining to me when you have a sore back in the morning."

Lucy, already laying down, cracked an eye open as she set aside her helmet. "Can Exos even get sore backs?"

"I guess you'll find out." The Exo disappeared around the corner, going into his bedroom. "Sleep tight, Pinky."

"Hey, uh, Cayde?" He looked back, leaning backwards so his head went back through the doorway to look at Lucy. "Thanks. For all this. I mean, it was enough to help me repair myself, but you really went above and beyond."

"That's what I do." Cayde straightened himself up, going back out of sight.

Lucy fell asleep quickly. It wasn't long before her systems quieted down, and she shut down to resume a more peaceful sleep mode to conserve and regain energy.

Once she was asleep, Cayde snuck back into the room. It was obvious he didn't have any plans of sleeping, as he went over to her side and crouched down to look at her sleeping form.

There was a small flash of light by his side, and his Ghost materialized out of thin air. "She's definitely not just some normal Exo. Not human, either. Kind of like..."

"Some sort of hybrid," Cayde finished. "It's, like, otherworldly. Well, whatever she is, she sleeps like a human." He poked her cheek, watching his leather clad hand sink in slightly. "Feels like a human, too. But she's not."

"Well, what are you gonna do? People are gonna question her as much as we are."

"Get her comfy." Cayde slid his arms under Lucy's sleeping form. "Set her up with an apartment in the City or whatever." He picked her up easily. "And maybe hear about her once or twice."

"This will most certainly not be the only time we see her," Sundance warned, following Cayde as he went into his bedroom. "You just have this pull on you that brings people like her to you."

The Exo set down the more mysterious robot that looked like a human onto the bed, watching her body sink into the springy mattress. "I'm going to assume that's a good thing."

"...She's cute," Sundance admitted.

"Yea." Cayde nodded his head in agreement. "...Well, not like, romantic cute, like...precious cute, you know? Like a child!"

"Awww. Looks like someone's got a little crush."

"Oh, come on, Sundance! We just met, and I barely have really gotten to know her! That would be unbelievable!" After pulling the blankets over Lucy's body, Cayde threw his arms up in exasperation. "I'm going to bed."

"Alright. See you in the morning, Cayde." Sundance went back to wherever she came, disappearing in blue light.


	4. A New Start

"Okay. I got your apartment's rent for the first month. Paid for it already. But I'm not gonna babysit you. It's on you to pull together glimmer to pay your own rent."

"Alright. Yea, I wasn't expecting to be coddled."

"Well. Coddled? I prefer the term 'helped along'. But anyways, you're on your own now. So...Good luck. Don't die. Make some new friends. And use me as a last resort. Not for the little things."

"You got it!"

Now, Lucy stood alone on the small balcony the run-down apartment allowed her. The Traveler hung high in the sky, mostly blocking her view of the heavens. However, the clouds hanging low today would have done that already.

It had been a few days since she got situated into the small apartment. It wasn't something to brag about, having only a main room, then a tiny bathroom and a small bedroom. It was obviously only enough for two people, but it was enough for the young woman.

Make friends...Lucy hasn't really done anything to push forward that goal, yet. While there was nothing to set up, she had to get basic necessities, and the first few days were more shopping than anything. While she was sort of forced to sleep on barely a mattress, it was a good start.

So, no. She really had no friends beyond Cayde.

With nothing else to do, she found herself at the balcony constantly and daydreaming. After a day full of performing one-time jobs, pay low but options never ending, Lucy would step outside for the rest of her time awake, watching the Traveler hang just above the City, as if it would drop and crush it all any day now.

While this was her home now, something always didn't feel right. Perhaps it came from the fact that she was different. Not Exo, or human. Somewhere in between. Whatever it was, a small voice always nagged at her, whispering in her head that she didn't belong. That she never will.

The voice dimmed, then finally ceased on her second week in the City, where there was a celebration. The entire settlement was cheering, giving cries of joy at the success of something. Ever curious, Lucy decided to investigate.

Midday. Lucy headed down the street, looking around. There were banners hanging high, people drinking to their heart's content, and families celebrating.

It felt almost awkward to ask what was happening. Instead, Lucy headed towards the center of the celebration, where most of the festival was being held. The Tower, ever looming above the City as if to watch over it.

She didn't expect to get in. She only wanted to see a glimpse of what was happening.

"Don't worry. Pinky's with me."

Lucy turned her attention from the people at the gate keeping the Tower from the rest of the City, reacting to the familiar voice. "Cayde?"

The Exo was walking up with a dash of confidance in his steps. "Miss me?"

Lucy stepped back slightly so he could stand by her side. "I didn't miss you in particular. I just wanted to see what was going on."

"Aw. Hurtful. Almost makes me not want to do this." Cayde gestured the guards to step aside. "Okay. Okay. Hunter Vanguard and guest of honor coming through."

"You're letting me in?" Lucy was surprised.

"As long as you stick by my side and don't wander off. Deal?"

"...Deal." Lucy smiled.

As both walked in, Sundance popped out to fly next to Cayde. "Zavala may not approve of this."

"Relax! She looks like a Guardian. We can just say she's one, and we're good! Nobody will really give her a second glance!" Cayde gave a dismissal wave with his hand.

Lucy laughed. "It looked like you were leaving."

"Eh, not really. I like being more on the outskirts of the party. I mean, I can still enjoy myself in the center, but I was all partied out at the moment and decided to relax. Then I caught your curious little eyes peekin' over to try and see the big deal."

"Yea. Speaking of..." Lucy looked around, and almost trailed off. There was so many people, the Tower almost felt crowded. However, she managed to get herself back on track. "What is going on?"

"Okay. Let's see. Just about a...let's say a week ago, a Guardian was brought back. You know how that works, right?"

"I've heard. When the Traveler died, Ghosts were made. And Ghosts go out, and revive dead people into Guardians. And they stay with them for the rest of their immortal lives to protect this place."

"Nailed it. Well, this Guardian just...blew everythin' out of the water. Cabal, Hive, Vex, you name it, and they fought it. Just yesterday, they went into this place called the Black Garden."

Lucy stopped. "The place of darkness on Mars?"

"Yes! Man, you're nailing the quiz, Pinky! Well, they entered the garden, destroyed the evil entity within it, and restored Light to the Traveler." Cayde pointed up at the said orb in the sky. "It's kinda going through its reboot phase, now."

"So, the Traveler has been revived? Is that why everyone's celebrating?" Lucy tilted her head.

"Well, why else? The party's probably gonna last for a few days, so hey, let's not burn ourselves out right today."

The woman laughed. "What am I going to have to expect? You knocking on my door and dragging me back every day of the party?"

"Well, you wanted to get in here! I'm fulfillin' that wish!" Cayde leaned against a wall, crossing his arms. "So, let's play catch up. How's your life?"

"Stabilizing it." Lucy assumed the same position. "I do some odd jobs, here and there. Never a shortage of those. Got myself situated with some weapons, in case the Darkness comes knocking at my door. Got a custom hand cannon in the works right now. Took most of my glimmer, but I feel it'll be worth it."

"Hand cannon?" Cayde whistled. "Got a good taste in guns, Pinky."

"I wonder if you'll agree with knives." Lucy whipped out a blade from its sheath, twirling it in her hand.

The handle was pitch black, accompanying the lavender steel blade. It arched up like fire, sharp on all edges. A part split off to hook slightly, curving back into the rest of the knife.

"Well, that's a pretty knife," Cayde commented. "Does it work well in a fight?"

"The hooking part's supposed to help catch something important in a body and split it wide open. And it's pretty sharp." Lucy poked the edge of the knife, then showed blood starting to spill from her finger. "See?"

"Impressive. Don't stab your legs with it while you're running."

"That's why it's got a sheath," Lucy joked, placing it back on her belt.

"Well, have you been makin' friends? Like I told you to?"

"I...not really," Lucy admitted. "I haven't been-"

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Pinky, Pinky, Pinky." Cayde wagged his finger in a disapproving manner. "Didn't I tell you to?"

"Well, what are you gonna do about it?" The woman teased.

The Vanguard sighed in a dramatic manner. "Oh, truly, you might be quite the handful..." He suddenly grabbed her arm. "And I really am gonna do somethin' about it!"

"Whoa! Cayde!"

The Exo suddenly tugged her along, ignoring her protests. He went back to the center of the party, dragging the poor girl with him.

"Hey, Shandra! Diablo-4!"

Two heads turned. One belonged to a human woman, long hair cascading down with green highlights going up and fading into the ebony black that made up the rest of her surprisingly clean locks. The other was an Exo, just like Cayde, but had more of a white and black coloring, with amber optics.

Just like Cayde, his throat lit up in orange when he spoke. "Hey! Hunter Vanguard!" He pulled Cayde into a friendly hug.

"I was looking for friendly faces like yours! Listen, I need to ask ya to help me out." Cayde jabbed a thumb at Lucy behind him. "I need her to get friends. What better friend is a Guardian?"

"So, you're practically asking us to be her friend?" Diablo guessed, laughing. "Does she make jokes?"

"Depends. Do you like jokes?" Lucy questioned.

"Love 'em."

"Then you love me. End of story."

Shandra giggled. "I'm Shandra. I'm a Warlock. Diablo's a Titan. What about you?"

"None. Cayde snuck me in here."

"Cayde, sneaking in a cute civilian? Sounds like he's got a date!" Diablo nudged Cayde, teasing.

Cayde sputtered at that. "A-Aw, come on! I just was satiatin' her curiousity! Seriously, it's like she has one of a child!"

"Flattering." Lucy crossed her arms.

Shandra gave another laugh. "You can really pass as a Guardian! Where'd you get the clothes?"

"Cayde," was the almost immediate answer and not one the woman expected.

"...He's literally giving you boyfriend clothes already?" Diablo questioned. "You go fast, buddy."

"HEY!" Cayde snapped as all the others laughed. "I had given her clothes because hers were all useless and ragged!"

Much to his pleasure, Lucy got along well with the two Guardians. They cracked jokes, and they too marveled at Lucy's knife. While Shandra criticized it for being too flashy and less useful, she only shot back with, "Sorry. I only listen to the Hunters for info on knives."

As the day ticked by, they ceased their talking and left. Diablo had to go to Titan to deal with Hive forces. Shandra bid him farewell before going to her bed early, as she would be having a busy week with her fireteam.

By the time the party ended, Lucy was close to shutting down. Apparently, it seemed like Exo alcoholic drinks did more to her than any actual Exo, and she was stumbling around as if she was on the most seasick-inducing ship on choppy waters. With her too drunk to really tell Cayde where she lived, that was the second night she slept in his apartment.

And certainly not the last, judging by the way his flustered reaction went when she drunkenly stated he was cute before tripping and falling on the ground, smacking her face on his table in the process.


	5. Talli Mark

Even a week after the party, Cayde would not let her live it down.  
  
"You called me cute! You. Called me. Cute. So admit it. I'm cute."  
  
Lucy pushed Cayde away with a hand, laughing. "I shouldn't have called you out of that meeting."  
  
Both of them sat on the couch in Lucy's room. As the days had passed, she had furnished her place more, not having to focus money on food all thanks to her metallic being.  
  
She didn’t mean for Cayde to learn where she lived. He had to have followed her home at some point, because after she got back from one of her one-time jobs, there he was, sitting on her couch and eating some ramen. She almost stabbed him, startled, but she managed to stop herself. Even if she did, Cayde joked, he would be revived, and he'll never let her live it down.  
  
Cayde, like the little brat he was, stretched out his legs so they went across Lucy's lap, much to her annoyance and slight amusement. He put his hands behind his head, relaxing. "Yea...But seriously. Thanks. A lot. Zavala wouldn't stop yammerin', it was brutal."  
  
"Maybe you just have a short attention span?"  
  
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Cayde kicked her lightly with a foot.   
  
"Okay, Cayde. Get off. I have to help Madelyn in half an hour."  
  
Cayde pulled back his legs, letting her stand up and stride over to a table. "You know I despise you going out of the City."  
  
"Meh." Pulling on her Hunter cloak, she pulled out a box. With two flicks, she undid the clasps on it and cracked it open.  
  
Cayde leaned in and whistled. "You did NOT have that before."  
  
It was a hand cannon, not unlike Cayde's. However, it wasn't black, but white, with magenta trimming to match her armor. On the side wasn't a spade design, but instead was a curving L, the bottom line curving like a scythe blade.  
  
"It's the custom made I told you about." Lucy spun it. "Holds eight bullets at a time, has a few explosive charges for emergencies, and if any stingy alien steals it, I got a tracker in it. I call it the Reaper's Hand."  
  
With one movement, Cayde plucked it out of her hands. Ignoring her groans of protest, he inspected it. "Man, oh man. Could rival my gun. I mean, could. It's not on the Ace of Spade's level."  
  
"Who knows?" Lucy snagged it back. "I could very well upgrade it to be."  
  
"I doubt it."  
  
The girl grabbed her helmet off the table, heading for the door. "Well, I'm out. Catch you later, Rasputin."  
  
"Oh, don't tell me you heard of THAT!"  
  
"It was part of the stuff Shandra blabbed about! She was practically telling me every detail of your known life! She would have said more if she wasn't in such a rush to get to her own duties." Lucy strode out the door, placing both knife and gun on her waist.  
  
The odd jobs Lucy always took were the ones left over. Nobody wished to go out of the safety of the City, put the pay was good. With the engrams she scrounged from the trips, she would always help her temporary employers blaze through Fallen and occasionally other adversaries.  
  
This time wasn't anything special at first. It was the same old thing. Lucy's most common employer was the purple-haired savior of the barren lands outside and around the City Madelyn, who paid her well to help escort people into the last safe place on Earth. The refugees almost never seemed to end.  
  
However, the mission was about to turn into one of Lucy's greatest moments: finding herself a daughter.  
  
As always, on the way back down the beaten road, Madelyn made conversation with Lucy, both walking in front of the small crowd with the woman's men on both sides. "You got yourself on the Hunter Vanguard's good list?"  
  
"What, it's hard?"  
  
"I've heard it is. Never tried my hand at it, though. Not interested in guys the way I'm interested in the ladies."  
  
"Hey, I've told you before. I don't swing that way."  
  
"Yea, I respect that. You are my friend, after all. Though that does bring up when you're going to start a relationship."  
  
"When I'm ready. I live in what's basically a shack right now. I'm not ready to mingle just yet."  
  
"Let the right man come and sweep you off your feet, and you'll be caring less about your house, because the perfect guy will NOT care."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
Madelyn merely gave a bit of a small smile. "Experience."  
  
"...Yea. Right. Look, I'll check on the civilians."  
  
"Okay. Thanks."  
  
Lucy slowed down so she could peek at the small crowd, scanning and counting the heads in her mind. Seven adults, two kids. Yea, that seems right. Seven adults, two kids, and some faint crying.  
  
Wait.  
  
"Hey, hey, who has a baby here?" Lucy raised a hand, yelling.  
  
"None of us, ma'am."  
  
"Then listen!" Lucy raised a finger. "Sh!"  
  
Everyone stopped, quieting. Everyone looked baffled at Lucy, but then heard it, too. A baby wailing its lungs out.  
  
"Hold on!" Lucy broke away from the crowd, leaping over one of the many abandoned cars.  
  
Madelyn followed her. "Lucy, wait!"  
  
The two women skirted through the wreckage, the Exo in front. Gazing through the magenta lense of her helmet, eyes narrowed as she looked for the source of the crying.  
  
Immediately, she had to put her new gun to good use once more. The familiar sight of Fallen greeted her, having been attracted by the noise, too. Luckily, with her hand cannon and Madelyn's rifle, short work were made of the large bugs.  
  
Gun still smoking, Lucy was able to finally pinpoint the crying, which had escalated from the loud noises. The poor thing was probably scared out of its wits. Moving aside the metal blocking her way, she knelt down.  
  
It was an infant, barely a few months old. Wailing out its lungs, it was red in the face, with signs of scrapes and bruises evident by blood and dark spots. Wrapped in a bright blue blanket that almost seemed to glow in the sun, there was nobody in sight to claim the small thing as their own.  
  
With nothing else to do, Lucy reached out slowly to take it in her arms. "Hey. Hey, uh..."  
  
Something truly magnificent happened in that moment. Before one hand can wrap around the baby to pick them up, the crying quelled, softening to whimpers. A tiny hand reached out, and all of its pudgy fingers gripped Lucy's finger tightly, with wide, bright blue eyes that had the same glow as the Awoken had staring up at the woman.  
  
Madelyn crouched down slowly, watching. "Is that a baby?"  
  
"Looks to be...an infant." Lucy stumbled over her words as she picked up the baby, holding her with one arm while still watching the infant hold her finger. "Barely a few months old."  
  
"The parents had to have left them here." Madelyn looked around. "There's no bodies, so they didn't die protecting them like parents should."  
  
"Then what should we do?"  
  
"...I don't know. Well, whatever we should do, I guess they like you."  
  
"...I guess they do..."  
  
Lucy don't know what possessed her to do what she did. She could have brought the baby to one of the orphanages, or to one of those relief centers. But something compelled her to do something differently. Maybe it was the way the baby held onto her. Maybe it was the eyes. Whatever it was, after a short shopping trip, she went home with a few toys and confusing instructions for a crib.  
  
"You got a baby?!"  
  
Lucy barely was surprised at Cayde making himself at home on her couch. He did this more and more often nowadays. Though the routine was startled by the small infant asleep in Lucy's arms. "Yes. I did. And it's good you're here."  
  
"Uh...Why?"  
  
The rolled-up instructions were tossed, and smacked Cayde in the face. "Build this."  
  
The Exo caught the papers as they fell down, optics narrowed. "Then what will you do?"  
  
"Check what gender they are, disinfect all wounds they suffered, put them in proper clothes, and make it a bottle."  
  
"...Fine. But don't complain when it turns out to be a mess."  
  
Surprisingly, Cayde was very competent in building the crib. He fumbled a few times ("Why the hell did they illustrate it like this? It made me do it all wrong!"), but eventually got it right. Though he did smash his fingers a few times with the hammer.  
  
Meanwhile, Lucy pulled the small baby she confirmed as a girl into a simple white onesie. While the small thing was distracted with one of the toys Lucy had gotten, a toy giraffe her size made of white and gray, Lucy prepared a bottle for her with the formula she gotten. Judging by her starting to cry, tossing away the giraffe, she was hungry.  
  
"Okay, it's done." Cayde walked up as Lucy watched the baby hungrily suck on the bottle now in her hands. "So, what do we know?"  
  
"Well, it's a girl, for starters. She was found in Fallen territory with bruises and scrapes all over her body. There was no body in sight, so instead of the parents dying to protect her..."  
  
"They left her." Did the Hunter Vanguard look disgusted or angry? "They left an infant in Fallen territory? I-I mean, who...who DOES that?"  
  
"Apparently, her mom and dad. I am as disgusted as you."  
  
"So, you keeping her?"  
  
"Well, I've heard orphanages aren't good for kids. Adoptive parents, on the other hand, are a better position."  
  
"Wow. So quick to a conclusion?"  
  
"Well...I think she sort of chose me. She was crying, and...when I reached out to her, she stopped and...grabbed my hand." Lucy looked at the same hand the small baby had gripped so tightly. "I feel like she wants to stay with me."  
  
"...Huh. Her eyes glow a bit."  
  
"I know. Like an Awoken's."  
  
"...Personally, not like an Awoken's-don't tell Zavala-I think they're more cute. Awoken's are just creepy."  
  
"Yea. I think so, too."  
  
Cayde leaned on one hand, watching the young baby take in her surroundings. "And her name is?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ahem. You aren't just gonna call her the baby, are you? That's a bad way to start off your relationship with your daughter."  
  
"Oh. I...didn't think off that."  
  
"Got you covered. Lucy Jr."  
  
"Oh my god, Cayde! No!"  
  
"Cayde Jr!"  
  
"It's a girl, Cayde!"  
  
The Exo drummed his fingers, pretending to think. "Hmm...Thorn? Dash? Cassie? Talli? Hailey? Ca-?"  
  
Lucy held up a hand to stop Cayde. "Wait, wait, wait. Talli?"   
  
"...Well, yea. I heard it means hero somewhere."  
  
"...Talli. I...I like Talli."  
  
"What a coincidence! I like it, too!" Cayde leaned in, and the baby looked at him with a curious expression. "What about it? Do you like-Gah!" Cayde freaked when the hands latched onto his horn and she began biting on it. "Not the horn! Stop it!"  
  
Lucy laughed. "Talli it is."  
  
"Ewww! She's droolin' on it!"


	6. A Night Out

"You want to...take me for a hangout?"  
  
"Yea, yea! I mean, Shandra's not respondin' to any of my notifications, just like Diablo, so it'll just be me and you! Unless you don't wanna go either. Then I guess I'll ride solo tonight!"  
  
"No, no, Cayde. I'll join you."  
  
"Really? YES!"  
  
"Whoa, what's with the sudden excitement, buddy?"  
  
"I-I mean...yes! I have an excuse to buy extra cups of ramen!"  
  
"Okay. Dork."  
  
The hang-out was just them and the streets. Taking her by the hand, Cayde pointed out almost everything, as if she was new to the City. She merely rolled her eyes, letting him drag her along to the ramen shop where they met.  
  
At this point, she was starting to develop a tolerance for the same spicy ramen that the Exo absolutely adored. Spicy foods weren't her thing, but she didn't have the heart to tell Cayde initially.  
  
"Ha! Can't handle the heat?" Cayde teased.  
  
Lucy chuckled nervously. "Yea, uh...I'm not a fan of spicy foods."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I just ate this so you'll be happy." Lucy opened her mouth, fanning into it. "Sorry."  
  
"Well, why didn't you say so?" Cayde pulled her bowl to him. "I'll just get you some chicken noodle! Non-spicy!"  
  
"Huh? You're okay with that?"  
  
"Yea, it's fine! So what if you don't like spicy ramen like I do? At least you still like ramen overall. Because if you didn't, I would cut all communications with you."  
  
"You're over dramatic."  
  
"I'm good at pickin' friends!"  
  
Eventually, both finished up their ramen, Cayde chugging both bowls of the spicy ramen while Lucy noted her favorite ramen would probably be the chicken noodle. Cayde was clearly ready to spring out of his seat, ready to drag Lucy somewhere else, but she took her time, in no rush, and finished up her ramen.  
  
As soon as the glimmer was slipped over the counter, the woman was pulled out of her seat and pulled along. Back into the streets, which have begun to be more empty as the sun had dipped down under the horizon to paint the sky purple, Cayde held her arm and hustled her on.  
  
Both stopped at a ladder that has seen better days, now all rusted and crooked. Cayde launched himself up it, climbing it and reaching the top of the building it was connected to easy. Lucy, obviously confused, followed, leaping after him as he jumped across rooftops.  
  
Her breath was visible in little puffs of white streaming out of her mouth. They came out at a multitude as she finally sat down, exhausted from all the running, but still smiling. She and Cayde now sat on one of the tallest buildings in the City, hidden away on a large ledge with a canopy hanging over it.  
  
"Yup. One of my little hideaways." Cayde stretched, letting his legs dangle as he dropped his upper body against a small body of pillows. "This is usually the spot I go to when sneakin' out of Vanguard meetings. Nobody else besides you and me know of it."  
  
"You've got quite the set-up here." Lucy relaxed too, laying next to Cayde.  
  
"Yea, just...be careful over there." Cayde pointed out the northern corner of the ledge. "I died three times by falling over it. You got one life."  
  
"Duly noted. So, why are we here? Definitely not to stargaze. The Traveler's in the way."  
  
"Yea, there would be better options." Cayde chuckled, and sighed.  
  
Lucy raised an eyebrow, vaguely worried. "You okay?"  
  
"What? Oh. Oh! Yea! Perfectly!"  
  
Lucy recognized the familiar blue flash of light, and sure enough, Sundance floated in between the two. "Actually, he called you onto a rooftop at night to say something very, VERY important."  
  
"...You know, this seems familiar," Lucy dryly noted.  
  
"Sundance! Shut up!"  
  
"Hey, I'm just saying! Cause you ain't spitting it out!"  
  
"I was going to spit it out! Just give me time! These words don't come out easy!"  
  
"...I'm jumping to conclusions here, but this is a love confession, isn't it?" Lucy questioned.  
  
Sundance seemed to nod. "Correct."  
  
Cayde was much more on the flustered side. "Well! I...Uh...Well, uh...Was it that obvious?"  
  
"I had a feeling." Lucy laughed, red creeping onto her face as she smiled. Pulling herself up, she sat up on her hands to look at the Exo lazily spread out. "Am I right?"  
  
"Um...Yea." Cayde sat up, too. "It may just be one of THOSE crushes. You know, when you see a pretty person and it's instant, but it lasts only, like, a couple of weeks?"  
  
"Then why do you keep coming on back to my apartment?"  
  
"...Um...I don't know. I like Talli."  
  
"You did it BEFORE Talli, smart alec," was the retort. "It's NOT one of the temporary cute crushes."  
  
Cayde raised his hands in surrender. "Okay. Okay. Ya got me. It's definitely not. It's one of those long-term romantic crushes. And I do NOT know what to do with it."  
  
"Well, then...maybe this?" Lucy snagged Cayde by the collar.  
  
"Alright, what are you-?"  
  
Lucy pulled Cayde close. He could feel her cold breath just before lips connected with his faceplate. His optics were probably as wide as dinner plates, practically every function in his body freezing up.  
  
After a few moments, Lucy pulled back, a smirk on her lips as she stared at the speechless robot. "Looks like I silenced the chatterbox, huh?"  
  
"...Wait...so you...?"  
  
"Yep. I return the feelings." Lucy returned to her relaxed position as if nothing happened, returning her gaze to the lights of the City below. "...Did it get a bit warmer here?"  
  
She looked, and almost burst into laughter. Cayde was absolutely radiating Solar light, the golden shimmers dancing all over his body that was unusually still as stone. Eyes were still open wide, and even Sundance was quiet, simply hovering to stare at Lucy.  
  
"...Oh, boy, this will be fun." Lucy scooched forward as Sundance nestled down into a small bunch of blankets, snuggling in. She put a hand on Cayde's chin. "Is this how Gurdians get aroused?"  
  
Cayde looked even more embarrassed before dusting himself off, the bright glow beginning to fade. "Well, it just...It just kinda happens sometimes, when we let our...our emotions slip! Yea. Emotions!"  
  
Lucy broke into laughter. "You're weird, Cayde."  
  
"Aw, just shut up and come over here. Your new boyfriend needs cuddles."  
  
Lucy shuffled to Cayde's side. "Cuddles are here, sir."  
  
"Deploying!" Making mechanical noises with his mouth, Caude stuck out his arms as if they were unfolding panels before wrapping them around Lucy, holding her close. "Cuddles deployed."  
  
The girl broke into laughter. "That was stupid, but cute. Just don't do it all the time, and I can tolerate it."  
  
"Yes, ma'am!" Cayde chirped.  
  
Sundance watched them, the light in her eye seeming to mimic a half-closed expression. "If you lovebirds can keep it down..."  
  
"Aw, quit whining. You're just mad Lucy has no Ghost you can tango with."  
  
"...Let me sleep, Cayde."  
  
Lucy let her head rest against Cayde's chest. "I love you."  
  
"I love you, too." Cayde placed a gentle kiss on Lucy's head.  
  
Looking up, he noticed Lucy was now off on her adventures in dreamland. Placing one of the numerous blankets in the hideaway on her, he began humming one of those old songs that he doesn't remember how he knows. Drumming his fingers to the beat, he looked at the sleeping girl in his arm, then at the sleeping Ghost in her personal hammock.  
  
He fell asleep on the spot not a few minutes later.


	7. A Hunter's Vow

"Heyyy, come on Talli! Where did I gooo?"  
  
The small child pointed up at Cayde. "Bah!"  
  
The Exo removed his hands to show his face. "Thaaat's right! You're so smart! C'mere!" He pulled the small thing into his arms, nuzzling her on the head.  
  
The small hands of a two-year-old reached out. "Horn! Horn!"  
  
"You want to touch my horn? Okay. You've been good. You can touch my horn." Cayde lifted her while he tilted his head downward.  
  
Talli reached up, holding Cayde's horn. "Horn..." She was obviously satisfied, giving a goofy giggle.  
  
Lucy sighed, walking in. Upgrades to her body have shown that she is all grown up, giving her more of a womanly physique. Leaning against the wall, she watched the two. "Well, you're up bright and early."  
  
Cayde wolf-whistled. "I like the body."  
  
"Scanned my components again and again, spent the last couple of months picking together parts needed...It was a very complicated matter, but I didn't like being stuck in the body of a teenager. Took me all night to dismantle and rebuild myself. It is NOT fun, trust me."  
  
Cayde walked forward, putting his arms around her waist. "You're taller."  
  
"At least I don't have to look up as much, now."  
  
"Eh, you're still looking up to me."  
  
"Oh, can it." Lucy laughed.  
  
Talli looked up and pointed at Lucy. "Surprise!"  
  
"Huh? Surprise?" Lucy walked over, kneeling down. "What do you mean, surprise?"  
  
Cayde gave the girl a thumbs up behind the woman's back, so she giggled and continued. "Surprise! Surprise!"  
  
"Awww! Cayde, did you teach her that word?"  
  
"Yup. Sure did." Cayde fumbled in his pockets, cursing his clumsy fingers and trying to get the two-year-old to keep Lucy's eyes on her. She probably won't get it anyways, but hey, worth a try.  
  
"Well, why's that?" Crap. She was looking back, and he doesn't have out the stupid box yet. How suspicious did he look?  
  
Fortunately not much, because no red flags seemed to be going off in her head yet. "Because it would be a surprise to you." He scuffed his foot lightly, making himself look as innocent as possible, which would really just make him look more shifty.  
  
For once, he thanked the Traveler for her having not grown out of her oblivious trait yet, because she gave a laugh, letting it ring out and dance throughout the otherwise quiet room. "You taught Talli a word just for a joke? Why didn't I see that coming?"  
  
Finally. Finally, his hands found the box. "Hey, uh...Lucy? Come over here for a sec, will you?"  
  
"Hm?" Pressing herself up, she got onto her feet and strode over to Cayde not too far behind her. "Yea? What is it?"  
  
"Look, uh...We've been together for two years, right?"  
  
"Yea. I've been keeping track. It's easy to do so, since we found Talli a couple of weeks before we started dating."  
  
Cayde scoffed. "Like I don't know that. Look, um...babe? Honey?" He paused, the correct words not coming to mind. "I want to...make it official."  
  
"Official? Literally the entire Tower knows we're together, what are you...?"  
  
Lucy immediately shut up when Cayde forced himself on one knee. With shaky hands, he held up the box and pulled it open to reveal a ring, a silver band curving elegantly around a pink gem.  
  
"Lucy, will you marry me? And finally make me able to teach Talli how to say 'Dad'?"  
  
The young woman made a shaky gasp. A hand flew to cover her mouth. "C-Cayde...!"  
  
After a few moments of silent, Cayde's heart began to sink. "...Crap. This is stupid. I don't know what to do. What do I do? Do I back out? Do I say just kidding? Do-?"  
  
Cayde was cut off by Lucy hugging him tightly. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times yes!"  
  
Nothing held him back. A hand on the back of her neck, he pulled her into a kiss, regaining his footing. Her weight was on him as she leaned forward, balancing on her tiptoes with her arms around him. They stood there for a few moments, neither wanting to pull away.  
  
Finally, they moved their faces away from each other, but still close enough to feel each other's breath on their faces. After a few more moments, Cayde seemed to almost smile as best as he could. "Thank you."  
  
"I have to thank you. You proposed. What are you thanking me for?"  
  
"For accepting."


	8. Surging Storms

All thanks to Cayde, the wedding had to be one of the biggest gatherings of the year. He must have invited every Hunter in the Tower, and then they decided in turn to drag along their Titan and Warlock friends. All in all, the entire Tower had to be there to watch Lucy walk the path down to the altar.

She has heard it was customary for someone to walk you down the altar. A father or mother to take you by the elbow. Walking alone seemed almost embarrassing and heartbreaking, she admitted to her fiancé.

To be honest, while she did see Shaxx as an important person in her life, she couldn't believe Cayde convinced him to walk her down the aisle.

Gowned in not a traditional flowing white, but instead a simple dress of a rosey pink, Lucy was not looking for anything flashy. Even after two years, she would still describe her economical status as merely scraping by, although she was getting better. Even then, she barely cared about looks, but was convinced enough by Zavala to at least for a more simple kind of beauty. This WAS her wedding day, after all.

Cayde had the same mindset. His outfit was just some navy blue formal wear, but he still kept on his cloak, much to her amusement. Not like she would have convinced him to get out of it, and she didn't mind, either. She liked him in it. So she, like so many others, did not voice a single word of complaint.

Talli was a flower girl. Amanda led her along by the hand as she shook around a small basket, emptying the petals in it by the halfway mark of the aisle and leaving behind a steady stream of red roses. In her mint green dress, she certainly looked happy, giggling and laughing.

After the official kiss and garbage like that, the real party began. They cheered into the night, celebrating the recent feat of their Hunter Vanguard. Drinks were passed out, pats were on the back, and words of 'lucky you, she's an angel' or 'good luck, he's a handful' were tossed out.

By the time Talli fell asleep while riding on a Guardian's shoulders, Lucy knew it was time to go home. Pulling Talli into her arms, she thanked everyone and started to head out.

Cayde caught her easily, a hand snaking around her waist. "Now, where are you goin'?"

"Home. Talli needs to go to sleep."

"Alright. The Guardians I sent out to do the movin' finished movin' the essentials over to my place, anyways."

Lucy paused before laughing. "Why didn't I see that coming?"

Cayde pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We're married now, Pinky. We GOTTA live together, or it's just weird."

Indeed, Talli's bed was nuzzled into one of Cayde's empty rooms. She probably would have pouted that her new room didn't have her many toys that the Vanguard has spoiled her with. But she was passed out in Lucy's arms, and thus had no way to really complain, not when she was snoozing peacefully in her bed.

This wasn't the first night Lucy and Cayde had shared a bed. But now they would truly share one, as in both officially sleep in it. Cayde almost felt a bloom of happiness and pride to see his recently wedded wife sleeping next to him, holding him close and resting her head right on his chest, in the process her body on half of his. He wasn't complaining in the least. In fact, he welcomed these close and intimate moments, when it was just them relaxing in a life of chaos and danger.

Over the next few weeks, they worked hard for both wife and daughter to settle in. With the help of Guardians willing to lend a hand, the furniture Lucy had was either sold or moved into Cayde's home. They didn't need two couches, and Lucy never liked the table she had, anyways.

Talli loved it. She could spend as much time with Cayde as she ever could. Granted that his job wouldn't get in the way, but not only would he take any chance to skirt on it, he also wouldn't miss a single opportunity to bond with the girl he could finally call his daughter. He had always seen her as his little girl, having been Lucy's go-to aid with her since the young woman took the small infant in and developing an almost fatherly love to her since.

But he couldn't avoid his responsibilities forever. Just a few days after they celebrated Talli's third birthday, when storms were just beginning to crawl over the City, he got a call.

"You have to leave?" Lucy pouted, having an exaggerated face of sadness. "And I thought you loved us!"

"Oh, I do, my dear sweet love!" Cayde made a dramatic swooning motion. "But alas, duty beckons me, and I must answer the call, or die trying!"

Lucy lightly shoved him. "Die, then."

"Uh! And you say you love me!"

The woman gave a laugh before kissing him on his faceplates. "Make it quick. Talli's growing her impatient side."

"Gets it from her mommy. You two would die if I left for a day, seriously." Cayde started walking off, pulling up his hood. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon."

His confident walk stayed as he made his way to the Tower. Passing by many hunkering down to the storm, he entered the meeting room, a calm and comedic contrast to what seemed like worry radiating from Zavala and Ikora.

"Ikora, if you tell me this is a practical joke...Well, it kills me to say this, but I-I would be really impressed."


	9. All is Red

One, two, three. That was how many bullets it took to fell the Centurion ready to kill her. She watched it fall to the ground, now lying amidst the rubble the sudden invasion has caused. Like the area around her, the rest of the empty street was in flames that reflected off her now banged-up Hunter armor.

She spun the Reaper's Hand, a watchful eye panning over the ruined part of the City. Not like any other part was faring better. "Okay. Come on, muffin."

Talli slowly slipped out from cover. Placing her hand back in Lucy's empty one, she looked up. "Shouldn't the Last City be safe, Mommy?"

"It should. It should, muffin. I bet the Guardians will get rid of the bad turtles. The Guardians and Daddy will fix this."

"Lucy! Diamond!"

Lucy looked to see Cayde floor it in running over to them. "Cayde?" After a pause, she smiled, then grinned under her helmet. "Cayde!" She joined Cayde in running towards the other.

Talli watched as both of them crashed into a tight embrace. "Daddy!" She joined the hug by wrapping her arms around his leg, holding onto the metal appendage tightly.

Cayde laughed, hopping a little and lifting his leg. "Diamond! Were you a brave girl?"

"The bravest!"

"Did you protect your reckless mommy for me?"

Lucy shook her finger, speaking in a singsong voice. "Calling the kettle blaaaack...~"

"Shush!" Cayde narrowed his eyes at her, but wasn't mad in the slightest. Instead, he was obviously joyful. He lowered his leg, Talli hopping off. "Are you and Mommy okay?"

"We're fine! Are you?"

"Never better! This has been a joyride! I just needed to make sure you and Mommy were okay before I get back to the fight!"

Lucy paused at that. "Cayde..."

Cayde raised a hand to stop her. His throat lit up as he forced himself to speak again, his voice gaining a more serious tone. "Just down the street is a designated evacuation point. Get there as fast as you can. I need you both out and safe."

His wife looked shocked. "Wait! Wh-What about you?"

Cayde already was starting to answer. "It's my job as a Guardian to ensure-"

"Daddy, Mommy, look!" Talli pointed up suddenly. "The Traveler's glowing!"

Both looked up. Through the pillars of smoke, they stared at the large orb in the sky, eyes widening. Indeed, it was like a sheet of golden light was spreading over the Traveler, covering it in a glowing layer. It was almost pretty, if not for the horrifying implications.

A flash of blue made Lucy look to her side. Cayde fell to his knees, Light drifting off of him. He groaned, supporting himself and looking very weak all of a sudden.

"Cayde?!" Running over, she knelt down and gripped him so he wouldn't fall over. "Cayde, are you alright?!"

"My Light...whatever that...that thing is...it's takin' my Light..."

Lucy slowly stood up. All the pieces clicked in her head at once, making her pale under the helmet. "No...The Cabal can't..."

"Mommy?"

"Muffin, all three of us need to leave. Now!"

Cayde raised a hand. "Wait...Wait a minute...I'm still a Guardian..."

"No! The Cabal are taking the Light from all Guardians! Without that, it's hopeless at this point! The only thing we can do now is run!"

The Exo paused for a moment, staring up. Slowly, but surely, he stood on his feet. "No."

"...No?"

"You two. Evacuation point. Now."

"What are you-"

Cayde suddenly snapped, anger evident. "I said NOW, LUCY!"

For a moment, Lucy stood in place. Her helm did well to hide her shocked expression. After standing in place, she slowly picked up Talli, holding her close to her chest and gripping her tightly, as if she would be ripped away from her like Cayde's Light was.

"Where are you going, Daddy?" Talli questioned innocently.

Cayde was already walking off. "To somewhere where I can find somethin' to fix this, and ensure your safety. Pinky, take it from here."

Lucy stood in place until Cayde was no longer in sight. Until he was gone, she turned and began running in the direction he pointed her in.

As she ran, the gunfire began to fade. Screaming and a new, unfamiliar sound of metal being shot replaced th gunshots. The words "Ghosts being destroyed" immediately came to mind, even though she had no idea what was the true cause of the noise. She tried to force that thought away, and hoped that she was wrong.

She wasn't. The first body she passed was a Guardian. It was a Warlock, a bullet shattering their helmet and leaving blood to pour out. The destroyed remains of a Ghost, blue and red like their outfit, were scattered around them.

As she ran along, more and more bodies were seen. She tried to hide them from the child in her arms, but finally gave up when Talli began crying, holding her cloak tightly in her small hands. There was no point to hide it from her at this point. Instead, she trudged on, a hand laced in the small girl's hair, a lighter brown than Lucy's.

Finally, she found her way to the evacuation point. She felt a twinge of pain at the sight of many civilians gathered together, shaking and muttering in fear. Only a few Guardians were there, but not a single Ghost in sight. Either they were hiding out of terror of the sudden shift of the tide, or she could assume the worst.

"You found another civilian?" One Guardian asked. His voice seemed to shake, the brave, confident, and sometimes cocky tone that Guardians always had no longer there. It, like most of the City, has evaporated, lost to dust.

Lucy realized they thought she was a Guardian. "No. This is my child." She set Talli down. "And I'm not a Guardian."

What came next practically chilled her, the only Titan there speaking in a fearful, quiet voice. "None of us are, anymore."

Lucy gave another look around. All the civilians looked on with frightened expressions. Their whole home for what was most likely years was being torn away from them at this very moment, and the Guardians have simply...given up. Their spirits all drained, they too feared for the future.

Slowly, she set down Talli. "Talli, you stay with these people."

"Mommy?"

"I'm going to help the Guardians." Lucy drew out her gun once more. "We need to save people like you that are scared."

"I'm not like them! I'm not scared!"

A smile graced the woman's lips under her helmet. "That's my girl. Alright, I need you to stay brave. You gotta be brave for all of these people." Talli stayed silent, and Lucy placed a hand on her small shoulder. "Can you be brave, Talli?"

"Uh-huh."

"Don't let the mean turtles get you, Talli. Get to safety with all of these people. And remember...be brave."

Lucy's last glimpse of Talli in what felt like forever was her retreating back. The brown dress blended in, then vanished into the crowd of civilians as some Guardians escorted them out of the City, rushing them along to a fleeting hope of safety.

As for her, she stayed. Stayed in the rubble of what has been her home for all of her known memories. Stayed in the burning ashes of what could have been a happy life. Stayed to fight, to save, to give her one and only life to do what a Guardian must.

Out of all the four Guardians that stayed to find survivors, only one lived. And they too eventually turned tail and fled the lost cause.


	10. Down on the Farm

Lucy was one hundred percent sure she was going to die. All the Guardians have, so what was the chances of her making it?

She found bodies. So, so many of them. Civilians and Guardians alike. Sometimes, she even had to hide because those damn Red Legion Cabal were still there, confirming the deaths of every last one. There were bodies, but not once was there a live person.

She felt ready to go insane. She hasn't spoken a word since she left the City, and by the end of the first week of traveling alone, it was all ready to bubble out in a fury. But she had to keep it in. Even a scream could bring a storm that spelled death.

Where was she going? She had no idea. Away from the City. Away from the Red Legion, ships swarming the Traveler like it was merely the catch of the day instead of the savior of humanity. All those ships mocked her, and she wanted to shoot down every last one. But she didn't want to die trying. Instead, she became the coward. After all, she was no Guardian.

Dents and dirt covered her white armor, making it look grimy. Just a month ago, it was perfectly clean and pristine. Now, it was one of the many monuments to her failures. Her helmet abandoned, probably lying on the road she took somewhere a day's away from the fallen town. Not like she was going to go back for it.

One arm had exposed wires. A part of her face nearly got clawed away, but instead has a nasty gash on it, having been deep enough to spill out coolant with synthetic blood. A bullet passed through her stomach and out the other side. All have not been treated, but were slowly repairing themselves through self-repair. Not enough when she was overworking herself. She bet she'll be dead if she was human.

For the past week, she passed through unknown territory. It struck her that she had never really gone beyond a distance from the City, even with Madelyn's jobs. So now, she was hopelessly lost, and her bullets were running out.

Cayde. Talli. Every night, she gave a small prayer to their wellbeing. She wasn't one of religion, but she always did it, anyways. It made her rest only a little bit easier.

She would also apologize. For not leaving with Talli, for staying back, the opposite of what her husband wished for her to do. She nearly broke down into tears just yesterday when she was passing through this routine, but she forced the tears down. She never knew what sound would bring.

She would sleep in darkness. She never lit a fire. She would go to sleep late. And then she would wake up extremely early, only feeling more tired than yesterday, to begin the cycle anew. The added hours of sleep over the course of the week of just walking together only equaled two nights of good sleep.

Now, she walked almost sluggishly, forcing every step. She wanted to keep going, but every part of her told her to give up. It was hopeless. Give up.

Has that eagle always been there? Circling over her, in the sky?

Maybe it was just a vulture. That would explain why it began to land when she finally collapsed, exhaustion catching up to her and forcing her into shutdown. What a wonderful surprise for it to find that she was metal...

This was goodbye, she presumed.

"Guardian. Hey, Guardian. Are you hanging in there?"

Blinding lights. They forced Lucy to squeeze her eyes shut, grunting in pain. She wanted them to stay shut. To just sleep. She craved even a lumpy mattress at this point. Bonus points if any tea or coffee was involved.

Finally, willing herself, she opened her eyes. The sun beat down on her body unwilling to move, consuming most of her vision in its rays. The only parts that were not affected made up the shape of a human. A shadow of somebody kneeling down over her.

"Can you walk?"

Lucy tried to move herself to stand. She screamed in pain as something snapped, and warnings flashed in her eye. They were focused on her leg servos. Overused, and damaged.

"I'll talk that as a no. You're lucky Louis found you, Guardian. Hey, come help me out! We got one more!"

The voices faded in, and out. Lucy must have blacked out eventually, because she doesn't remember anything beyond being grabbed by the arms and the beginning of getting dragged along the ground.

What she does remember is waking up, and her first thoughts being 'Well damn, was that the best sleep I had in ages.'

True to her prayers, she laid on a mattress, splayed out on all the free space. It seems they didn't have much to do with repairing her, so they bandaged her and let the self repair handle the rest. Boy, their reactions when the systems kicked in must have been the greatest. She was mostly repaired at this point due to her long slumber, and everything was starting to work again.

Propping herself up, she gave a mighty yawn, and winced when her jaw popped from it. She rubbed it with a hand, sitting up fully now as she looked around with bleary eyes.

Light streamed in from an open window, attracting her to it. Picking over the scattered weapons and scrap metal on the ground, she looked through the window, squinting at the scene below her.

Guardians. They were still alive. A few were kicking around a soccer ball, but most of them were helping people around this new place. The layout seemed like that it was a farm, but the fact that there were so many refugees here seemed for it to be some sort of emergency shelter.

Lucy was still half-asleep, so she contemplated going back to the mattress and passing out again when she finally noticed the brown dress playing the game with the Guardians.

"MUFFIN!" Lucy sprung straight out of the window, plummeting down to the ground floor. Rolling into her landing, she got on her feet, already sprinting to the small game.

Talli stopped, the soccer ball still under her foot. She looked to see the figure in white, black, and magenta bolting over. "Mommy?"

Lucy slid on her knees, grabbing Talli and yanking her tightly into a hug. Shaky hands gripping the small three-year-old, she sobbed, pressing loving kisses to her daughter's face while tears streamed down her's. The young girl herself began to cry, hugging her mother back.

One of the Guardians that had been playing walked up. "Lucy. Your kid wouldn't stop talking about you. She came in alone a few days ago, asking for you and her dad. She was obviously worried sick, as we all were."

Lucy had many questions. Talli came alone? Did something happen to the refugees she was with? And if so, how was she, a delicate and small child, the only one who made it? But none were asked. Instead, she continued to cry, holding Talli ever so close to her.


	11. Not a Guardian?

Over the next few days, Lucy did many things. Help Talli get settled in, help patrols, help the refugees with their dilemmas, and help defend the place she now stayed at, which she learned was called the farm.  
  
Help. Really, everything she did boiled down to that single word. There was nothing else for her to do. Just...help. Isn't that a Guardian's job?  
  
With the time she had, she finally got to know the people under her husband's command better. Soon enough, they became close enough so she could call them friends. It was a bit odd to see all these people who can be called close allies of Cayde, and yet up until that point, she never held a single conversation with one.  
  
Cayde...She hasn't seen him this whole time. And now that her initial joy of seeing Talli again has boiled away, there is only worry and dread for Cayde filling her chest.  
  
One of the Guardians has reclaimed their Light, she heard. She personally congratulated them, though Ghost mostly talked for them. They kept leaving to do things the Lightless Guardians like them could not.  
  
Like save the Vanguard.  
  
It happened on the fourth day of her stay at the Farm. Crouching on the fence, she watched Talli play another round of soccer with the Guardians. Currently, her team had the ball, and she was using her small size to weave past the more clumsier enemies to kick the ball straight into the net. Of course, the clumsiness was just so they could play fairly, but still.  
  
A landing ship filled her audio sensors. She turned her head to look. Yup. It was the Guardian's, the only ship that came and go. It seemed to be a habit for all people at the Farm to stop what they were doing, if only for a moment, to watch the ship set down gently on dirt and grass, and gaze upon the one Guardian with Light walking out, Ghost by his side. Their last hope.  
  
Today, he wasn't alone. Much like when Zavala came back earlier with the Guardian, somebody else stepped out of the ship, too. The Guardian had gone to Nessus, she heard, so who-?  
  
"...Muffin, do you see that?" Lucy slowly stood up, having been crouching on the fence post, delicately balancing on her feet.  
  
"Mommy? What is it?"  
  
After a pause, Lucy gave a grin. "Your father's okay."  
  
There was no stopping the young girl. Passing the ball to one of the Guardians, she raced right down to the ship, tiny legs becoming pinwheels. "Daddy! DADDY!"  
  
Cayde began running, too. "DIAMOND!" Sliding on his legs in the last stretch, he pulled her straight into his arms. Holding her tight, he began rocking back and forth, pressing kisses to her face. "Oh, diamond, oh little diamond...Oh, sweet diamond..."  
  
"Where have you been?!" The tiny child wailed. "I missed you so much!"  
  
"I missed you too, diamond. I missed you and mommy so, so much."  
  
Now it was Lucy's turn to run forward. "Cayde!"  
  
Cayde looked up. "Speakin' of..." Standing up, Talli being carried in one arm, he hugged Lucy close to his chest with his free hand. "Pinky. Oh my sweet Traveler, Pinky."  
  
"Where the hell have you been?!" Lucy screamed. "I was worried sick!"  
  
"Nessus. Trapped in a Vex teleporter. I'll explain more." Cayde nestled his head in her hair. "I'll explain everything."  
  
He did. Sitting in the small room they had, Talli in Lucy's lap, Cayde told them everything, from leaving the City to the Guardian saving him. In turn, the girls recounted their stories.  
  
Cayde stopped Lucy almost immediately, never allowing Talli to tell her story. "Wait, wait, wait. You stayed in the City?"  
  
"...I did." Lucy nodded, suddenly looking down.  
  
"...Talli, can you go play with your friends? Just for a minute?"  
  
"Huh? But I didn't get to tell my story!"  
  
"We'll call you back when...we're finished talkin'."  
  
Both sat on the ground as Talli slowly stood up and walked out. When the door gently shut behind her, Cayde slowly slid his face into his hands, letting out a sigh that lit up his throat in orange.  
  
Lucy gulped. "Cayde-"  
  
"What the hell, Lucy? You...You left Talli. When she really needed you."  
  
Lucy scowled. "And you didn't?"  
  
The Exo suddenly shot up, getting on his feet. "I told you to watch over her, and you go back into the heart of danger?!"  
  
"I was with Guardians!"  
  
"Did they come back?!" Lucy didn't respond. "Are the Guardians still alive?!"  
  
"...No," was barely audible, under her breath. "They died. I..."  
  
"Don't tell me. You barely made it out alive."  
  
Lucy slowly got up. "I'll admit. It was a stupid decision-"  
  
"DAMN RIGHT IT WAS! Do you have ANY idea what I'll do without you?! Huh?! We only married just a little while ago! I can't lose you that fast!"  
  
"Cayde-"  
  
"Let me finish! You don't have the training of a Guardian! You have the spirit, the armor, the weapon, but not the abilities! One stray bullet over these past few years could have taken you away from me! Forever!"  
  
"Well, it goes the same way, now that you have no Light!" Lucy snapped back.  
  
"Yea, well that's different!"  
  
The woman growled. "Cayde, admit it. We're both at fault for leaving Talli when she needed us."  
  
The Vanguard started to retort. After hesitating, he slowly closed his mouth about to spill out something. He stared before tilting his head down slightly, looking sad.  
  
"...Cayde..."  
  
He fell back onto the mattress. "Traveler, you're right. This is my fault as much as it is yours."  
  
"...Cayde." Cayde looked up as Lucy slowly sat down next to him. Resting her arms on her knees, she looked ahead, seeming to think about her next words. "...I'm more in the fault than you are."  
  
He gave a dry laugh. "Thank you for admittin' it."  
  
"Oh, shut up. I'm apologizing right now. But what matters is...we're okay now. We all got out okay, in the end."  
  
One, two, three long, agonizing moments went by. Finally, Lucy's breath exhaled when Cayde spoke up again. "I still have, like, 35% of the blame."  
  
"What-35? That's an F minus!"  
  
"No such thing as an F minus, Pinky!"  
  
"Yea! I had to make it up to describe you!"  
  
Both of them laughed. The beautiful sound filled the room, and for a small bit, for one single second, Lucy had not a single worry.  
  
The moment had a bit longer added to it when Cayde pulled her close, a sweet kiss being planted on her lips. She returned it, holding onto his cloak, then throwing her arms on his shoulders to pull him closer.  
  
When they pulled apart, Lucy murmured, "You owe me for making me worry."  
  
"Don't worry, Lucy. I know just how to make it up to you." The Vanguard pulled her into a rougher, more passionate kiss.  
  
She got the signal quite well, already fumbling for his armor. Hot, messy kisses were shared as they fell back on the mattress, already becoming a tangled mess of arms and legs.  
  
Cayde growled a bit. "Was your armor always this stuck...?"  
  
"I got thrown around more than once before I could be considered safe," Lucy retorted. "I was bound to break something."  
  
"Remind me to curse out the Cabal for making this so damn hard..." The Exo grumbled as he did his best to unclasp her armor.  
  
There were a few gentle knocks on the door, and both their heads popped up. "Mommy? Daddy? Are you finished talking?"  
  
"Uh...Not yet! Just wait a bit longer!" Lucy replied.  
  
"Okay..." Talli's exit was made known by the small pitter-patter of her feet.  
  
Cayde gave a laugh. "Kids. Am I right?"  
  
"Yea. Now, where were we...?"


	12. This is Our Home

Her entire systems burned. Everything burned, really. In short, she was really tired, and really, really lose to death.  
  
It began with a promise that would be broken. On the eve of the reclaiming of the Last City, the only home she's ever known, she had been sitting on one of the many Farm rooftops, checking the Reaper's Hand over and over in her palms. She had cleaned it until it shined, then cleaned it some more to busy her hands as she thought.  
  
"Tonight's the night."  
  
A quick glance confirmed it was Cayde walking up and sitting down next to her. "Yea..." She looked back out and up into the sky. "We take back the City."  
  
"...Is it wrong to be scared?"  
  
Scared. A word that never left Cayde's mouth. Her head turned to face the Exo. "You've never been scared."  
  
"First time for everything." Cayde's light tone did not match his words at all, and eventually, those words darkened, too. "I mean...We got a kid and all, and that makes you start to think of your own mortality."  
  
"You've been...thinking."  
  
"Surprising, right? Well...Kinda have to. I mean...Talli's close to four, now. She's not...she wouldn't understand. She can't. It's not right for a four year old to lose either her dad or mom."  
  
Lucy paused. After a moment, she sighed, looking away and removing her hand from pulling her brown locks back to place into her helmet cleanly, letting them drift down her face.  
  
"You know we have to do this, Cayde."  
  
The Exo raised a gloved hand. "I know. I know. No beating around the bush. You're as much of a Guardian as everyone else here. You've been doing your part wonderfully, and you...gotta carry it out to the end. But you know...I gotta...make you promise me something."  
  
"There's always a catch."  
  
"Look, just...take it easy, Pinky. I can't avoid the front lines, but you can. If I don't make it...I want Talli to at least still have you."  
  
"Don't say that like you're going to die, Cayde." Lucy's voice was more quiet than usual.  
  
"We never know. Could die today, maybe tomorrow, maybe in a year. Guardians last long, but some never last forever. So immortal isn't the best description for us. More...prolonged life."  
  
"...I..."  
  
Cayde gently took Lucy's free hand, holding it. "Please. Do not let yourself get killed. I don't want to pull out alone, and if I don't do that, I don't want Talli to be alone."  
  
The young woman nodded. "I promise."  
  
"Thank you. Now don't break it."  
  
"I promise I won't break the promise."  
  
Guess that made out that she broke two promises at once.  
  
She had stayed in the back. Providing gunfire cover for the people in the front, she picked up what's left from the initial attack. Placing a bullet where one strayed, crushing a head one missed. She kept to her promise.  
  
But she noticed something others wouldn't, and took the role. Gun blazing, she stayed behind to stop a sneak attack. No Guardian stopped her, instead progressing on to partake in the real fight.  
  
It was almost pathetic, the way she got oh so crippled. A misstep here, a detonated explosive there. Point is, she's only supporting herself with one arm, the other unloading the last of her bullets into the Cabal threatening her home.  
  
Her right leg was severely damaged, almost beyond repair. Even if she made it, she'll be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Thinking of that, she made a dry remark in her head that she'll prefer death than being useless. Sight in her only working eye was growing dim, and her shots were off, making her waste more than one bullet.  
  
Soon, her gun clicked empty, and she let out a swear. Tossing it aside, she instead stuck to her knife, letting the purple metal glisten, ready to tear into flesh.  
  
Such a tiny knife did not do well against Cabal skin. She must have made at most a scratch before one of the large hands enclosed her neck, tiny and like a twig in comparison. She could feel herself lifted into the air, legs dangling, and she kicked the one that still worked uselessly, a pitiful struggle.  
  
She could hear a voice, growling and feeling like sandpaper for her audio sensors. "Any last words, Guardian?"  
  
Last words. Lucy spent a second considering that. Nobody was around to hear it, but she didn't want to die with crappy bad words, either.  
  
"I ain't no Guardian...but I can brag in an afterlife...that I sure as hell fought like one...!"  
  
Static went into her head and vision as she felt her neck crushed. It folded in easily to the Cabal grip, destroying important wires that helped her function with a mere squeeze.  
  
Wow, she thought. Cayde is going to be mad as hell when he drops into the afterlife.  
  
And all went black.


	13. An Echo of Light

"Goddammit, you promised, Pinky..."  
  
Everything was okay. Everything was going okay. The Light had come back, all in thanks of Cayde's number one Guardian. Now, every Guardian had the Light back. The Cabal were forced right out of the City, and everything was beginning to be cleaned up.  
  
Cayde got his arm and leg unfortunately ripped off during the battle reattached as soon as possible. Talli kept him in bed until that did happen, chiding him like a mother would for getting himself hurt. She even had in a finger wag and a stern look.  
  
A day passed, then two. Both father and daughter began to grow extremely worried. Lucy was missing. She had never come back in the army, in the back or the front. Asking around, Cayde was quick to learn that she had repelled a sneak attack from behind, but that was the last anybody had heard of her.  
  
A small, but steady stream of Guardians picked their way over to the remains of the Tower over those few days. Cayde sat at the Tower with what time he had, staring out and watching the ruined streets, just waiting to see that glimpse of white and magenta armor coming along, either alone or supported by Guardians. If it was the latter, Cayde would chastise her for getting hurt, but just be happy she was alright.  
  
When the last of the Guardians came, the bodies of fallen Guardians followed. They were brought in by loved ones, tears hidden behind helmets. Maybe that's why they liked helmets so much. To hide all the pain they were going through. Cayde wishes that he had one on hand when Lucy finally decided that would be the time to come home.  
  
Not on her feet. Not supported. But her body being carried by two Guardians, ones that he recognized having been at their wedding that seemed so long ago now.  
  
Now, Cayde stood in the long, long hall of bodies yet to be buried. Due to her relationship with the Vanguard, Lucy had the best coffin on hand. Sturdy black casing with a glass lid so the Exo could stare down at her corpse, the girl who seemed to be just sleeping as her cloak laid neatly on the lid.  
  
The Reaper's Hand was nestled snugly into Cayde's belt. Like the Ace of Spades, he planned for it to stay there for as long as he lived. Sundance hovered right next to him, the familiar hum of a Ghost the only thing heard in the room.  
  
"...What are we going to tell Talli?" Sundance finally spoke.  
  
Cayde leaned against the casket, his head hanging. "I...I don't know. I don't know, Sundance. She...Didn't she promise?"  
  
"I heard her very clearly. She did indeed promise."  
  
"Out of all the stupid promises she could have broken..." Cayde'shand curled into a fist. "She broke this one?!" He punched the glass lid with a surprising amount of force. A small, tiny crack was now evident on it. "WHY?!"  
  
Sundance wisely hovered back a tiny distance. "I don't know."  
  
"Dammit, why wasn't she a Guardian?!" Cayde turned on his heel. "If she had a Ghost, she could have been saved!"  
  
"Cayde, remember, none of us had Light. Regardless-"  
  
"I know!" Cayde raised his hands as if to wrap them around his head. "I know. I just...wish."  
  
"We all wish for things, Cayde." Sundance hovered closer to nuzzle the side of Cayde's face. "And we don't get what we wish."  
  
The Exo cupped his hands, letting his Ghost nestle in them. "I would give up all my luck in all my lives to have her back."  
  
"I know you would, Cayde."  
  
Only after a few more hours did Cayde leave. Taking off the worn and dusted cloak given to him by Andal Brask, he folded it neatly and placed it on the casket, instead wrapping the pure white cloak around him, only lightly scuffed and torn by the battle. It was once his, but he would prefer to call it Lucy's.  
  
Only after he left did she wake up.  
  
Soft hums of two Ghosts filled the now quiet air. True to that, two bobs of light slipped into the darkened room, their optics sweeping the area and leaving streaks of light.  
  
One of them spoke in a gruff voice, painted a navy green with golden lines. "Okay. I'm looking for a Theodore. Human, black skin, but literally the brightest blond hair you've seen. Ever. Titan."  
  
The other had a sarcastic female voice, white like any standard Ghost was. Unlike the other Ghost, not a single dent or speck of dirt was on her entire shell. "At least you know your Guardian. I'm gonna have to scan every...single...body."  
  
"Chin up, new gal. At least you don't have to explain to your Guardian why you ditched them during the big fight." A sigh escaped the older Ghost. "Poor Theo's still a kinder guardian. Got revived, then the Red War happened. And you?"  
  
"Um...Well, I'm about 80% sure I just got created, soooo...I don't even know who I'm looking for."  
  
"Well, just follow your instincts. You'll be led to their Light." The Ghost drifted off. "Good luck."  
  
The young Ghost gave what could allude to a nod. "Yea. Good luck to me. I'll try."  
  
Down the hall she went, occasionally stopping to scan a body. Her ray of blue light would pass over a body bag for a few moments before stopping, nothing happening. Realizing that the fallen soldier was not her's, she'll give a small 'no' before continuing on.  
  
As she pushed on, there was a faint tug in her core. The deeper she went into the room, the more pronounced it was. It was like a string wrapped around her, pulling her ever closer to her destined Guardian.  
  
She stopped at the only casket in a room. Her shell rotating, a few clicks were heard from her as she surveyed its contents.  
  
"Oh, yea. This is it."  
  
With a few slams, the glass lid came sliding off. It, along with the Hunter cloak on it, came crashing to the ground, making a loud thudding noise.  
  
The young Ghost looked to see the older Ghost had now stopped in his search, and was now staring directly at her, clearly either startled or annoyed.  
  
"...Sorry!" She called. "Had to do that to reach my Guardian!"  
  
Now ignoring the other, the young Ghost turned on her Light once more. Shell expanding out to show her core, she glowed a bright blue, focusing all her strength on to make her Guardian open her eyes.  
  
Slowly, a groan came out. But it wasn't in pain. It was of annoyance and exhaustion.  
  
Lucy slapped a hand to her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut. "Five more minutes..."  
  
"Wakey, Wakey, Guardian..." The Ghost sang. "I'm not gonna sit around and wait for you to wake up."  
  
"Bed's soft. Comfortable. I wanna lay down and stay down."  
  
After a few more minutes, the Ghost descended, bonking her entire being onto Lucy's head. "I will not repeat myself!"  
  
"OW!" Lucy sat up, bonking the Ghost in return and causing it to fly a distance away. After a pause, she rubbed her head. "Owww...What was that for?"  
  
"Ahem. To wake you up, obviously?"  
  
The young woman rubbed her eyes, groaning. "What do you want? Your Guardian?"  
  
"Yea. You."  
  
Lucy finally paused at that. "Scuse me? I ain't no Guardian."  
  
"Well, congratulations. You are one, now." The Ghost bobbed back and forth. "I'm your Ghost. Just got created by the Traveler reawakening. Which is why you weren't a Guardian before."  
  
Blinking a few more times, Lucy finally looked around in the room she was in. "Right...I remember. I died."  
  
"It must have felt weird."  
  
"Actually, it felt like I was asleep. On unrelated terms, that surprisingly felt like the best sleep I ever had. Note to self: kill myself for a good night's sleep."  
  
After tripping out of the casket with a dry congratulations from her new Ghost, Lucy pulled on the cloak Cayde left behind and slipped out. She stopped to wave goodbye to the older Ghost, who now has revived a panicking and very worried-looking Titan man.  
  
As they exited to step outside, the Ghost noted, "Huh. He was right. That WAS the blondest hair I've ever seen."  
  
Lucy began descending down the ruined steps, finishing buckling on Cayde's cloak. "You got a name, Ghost?"  
  
The newly born Ghost trailed behind her Guardian. "Well, no. That's your job."  
  
"Are you sure, cause I'm gonna give you a really bad name."  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"Bethany."  
  
"Oh god you're right. You're bad at this."  
  
Lucy got to the bottom, turning to make her way to the Vanguard Hall as fast as possible. "Deadwood? Racer? Cedar? Ooh, ooh! Lumine!"  
  
"Lumine's a boy's name!"  
  
"I can bet it's gender neutral!" Lucy placed her hand on the door to the Vanguard Hall. "Corrin?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Titania!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Echo!"  
  
"N-!" The Ghost stopped at that. After a pause, she seemed to nod a bit. "Okay. I can deal with that."  
  
"So, it's Echo?"  
  
"It's the only one I like. I'll settle with it." The newly christened Echo looked at the door. "You just gonna stand there or what?"  
  
"Well, shut up." Pushing forward, she entered the hall.  
  
Only Cayde sat in there. Ikora and Zavala were not present, most likely to help in repairs. He stared down at the ruined map, fingers drumming. The hood of Lucy's cloak was pulled fast over his head, leaving no way for him to look except forward. He studied the tiniest details of the paper, optics barely blinking.  
  
Lucy gave a scoff. "You took my cloak?!" Cayde's head snapped up, and he looked at her. "It doesn't even match you!"  
  
"...Lucy?"  
  
She raised a finger in response. "Even better. A Guardian that is named Lucy. Lucy 2.0. Wife, but better. Shall I go on?"  
  
"Lucy." Cayde knocked over his chair in standing up. After a pause, he made a break for her. "LUCY!"  
  
The Exo slammed his entire weight into her. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close, burrowing his face into her shoulder.  
  
The woman laughed. "Let me tell you, that was the best sleep I had yet."  
  
Cayde pressed fervent kisses all over her face. One hand on her cheek, he pulled back, having the brightest smile she has ever seen. "I thought you...I thought you died!"  
  
Echo leaned in ever so slightly. "And that's where I came in."  
  
Cayde looked up to see the brand new and gleaming Ghost hovering just to the side. "You...have a Ghost."  
  
"I told you. I'm a Guardian, now. I think Echo got created when you and your buddies restored the Traveler's Light."  
  
"And you already named them..." Cayde chuckled, kissing Lucy's head. "Well, this certainly eliminates the problem of tellin' our daughter you kicked the bucket."  
  
"Daddy!"  
  
"Speakin' of...Quick, hide! I wanna surprise her!"  
  
"You got it, Cayde!" Lucy quickly darted off, hurrying up the steps and crouching to hide behind the wall on the second floor. After a moment, Echo vanished out of sight, flashing away.  
  
Talli, pushing open the big doors, ran into the room. "Hi, Daddy!"  
  
Cayde picked Talli up, swinging her in the air. "Hey, diamond! How have you been?" He hugged her close, nuzzling her head and bathing her head in the orange light from his throat whenever he spoke. "I hope you didn't get into trouble!"  
  
"I didn't! You seem a lot happier than before! And you got Mommy's cloak! What happened?"  
  
"Well..." The Exo looked up at the general area Lucy was. "Guess who we found?"  
  
Talli gasped, and looked, too. "Mommy?!"  
  
On cue, Lucy popped up, jumping on to and crouching on the railing. "Hi, muffin!"  
  
With a squeal of joy, as Cayde set her down, Talli raced up the stairs, becoming a brown blur. Lucy leaped back onto solid ground and ran forward too, laughing and sliding the last few feet to sweep up the young girl into her arms.  
  
"You're okay! You're okay!"  
  
"Trust me, muffin. Now, not even death will keep me from you."


	14. Our Last Moments

Echo had gotten an entirely new shell. It matched her Guardian perfectly, a pure white shell with lines of magenta and splashes of black here and there. Lucy would have just left her as it is, but unfortunately for her, Echo was a bit of an impatient Ghost, and wanted a unique shell as soon as possible. So, eventually, she gave in and gave her a custom shell.

Echo danced around the older Sundance, banging into her every now and then. "Come on. Come on. Cooooome on."

"No."

"Play with me. Play with me. Talli's asleep, so I need you to play with me."

Sundance sighed, butting Echo away and letting her spin through the air before regaining her balance. "Not now."

Cayde walked up, spinning his classic gun. "Right. Not now. But when we get back."

"Where are you going?" Echo questioned as Sundance vanished. "It's early in the morning. Lucy isn't even up yet."

"Prison of Elders." Cayde popped open the cartridge of his gun, checking it, then popped it back in. "We got a call from Petra Venj that a riot out of her control was going on, and she needed help. I decided to enlist."

Echo watched him head for the door. "Hey, be fast, you know? Lucy gets cranky without you next to her when she wakes up."

"Hey, hey, I will." Cayde opened the door. "It'll be in, then out. I promise."

"Don't."

The Exo stopped. "Huh?"

"Don't promise, because then, you'll have such a high chance of breaking that promise, because if it's one thing I learned, you and Lucy break promises."

Cayde stood there for a few more seconds before trying to literally shrug off those words. "Then just say I went to the prison. Don't tell her I'll be back as fast as possible, if that makes you feel better."

"It does, surprisingly."

As Cayde exited, closing the door behind him with Sundance trailing behind, a small five-year-old entered, dragging a blanket along with her and rubbing her eye. "Ah...Good morning, Echo..."

Echo paused before rubbing Talli's head in a nuzzling manner. "Good morning, Talli. Do you want cereal or waffles for breakfast?"

Echo pinging Lucy managed to wake her up. The groggy Hunter, having grown out of her kinderguardian status already by having been slinging a gun for the past five years, trudged in with half-open eyes and sleepily made Talli a bowl of cereal like she asked.

"Where's Cayde?" Both of them asked in the span of five minutes apart from each other.

Echo simply answered, "He's out on a mission," and that was it.

Maybe it would have been better if she gave more details, especially when they were called to the Tower to attend Cayde's funeral.

Everything really was just white noise to Lucy, except for the words about Cayde and who murdered him. Uldren Sov. She stood in the back, eyes red from sobbing her heart out. Talli held onto her leg, sniffling while holding tight to the black fabric. That was really the only presence she acknowledged.

Lucy took a very welcome excuse to leave when she noticed Cayde's favorite Guardian take their leave. Judging by their expression, they weren't happy with the Vanguard. With a quick excuse to Ikora, Lucy left Talli in her care and followed them.

"Guardian. Wait." They did so, stopping and looking as she approached them. "You...may not know me."

"You were the second most talked about thing with Cayde," their Ghost responded. "Your child was the first."

"Seems like him. Praised you a lot, in return." Lucy looked away. "Listen, I...I don't care how you do it. I want the Ace of Spades back in Guardian hands, and I want Uldren Sov dead."

"He will be dead." The Guardian spoke up.

"Thank you. And...I know who's going to be the proud owner of the Ace of Spades. Told me once. If he died, he wanted you to have it."

They obviously seemed surprised, a little flattered, as their Ghost exclaimed, "He wanted us to have it? Not you?"

"Seriously. He praised you tons." Lucy gave a grin. "But if you die, it goes to me. Sorry."

All three of them laughed, just for a moment, but it died fast. Not only that, but the laughter had no joy beyond it, forced just for the sake of it.

"I'm serious. I want Sov six feet under."

"At least we won't have to go out of our way to do that," the Ghost responded.


	15. Prelude to Darkness

It ached her that Cayde was no longer by her side, the memories still fresh and bittersweet. The bed felt so empty with only her in it, and Talli felt so distant now. At times, she wondered who was really taking his death harder. When she thought that, she realized how hard it was to tell.

Uldren was killed. Just like she had hoped. However, that just left an empty feeling in her. The temporary satisfaction slowly slipped away to return that bitter, hollow taste in her that only Cayde could fill, yet no longer offer.

She had never purposely tried alcohol up until that point. Besides when she got drunk on the celebration of the destruction of the Black Heart, she doesn't remember a time that she drank any intoxicating beverages. But there she was, downing a bottle after Talli had gone to bed, searching for the happy feeling that she thought it would give.

Curse being robot. Nothing. She tossed the empty bottle aside. Perhaps there were alcohols designed specifically for Exos. She really had to find those.

As she got up, there was a knock on the door. Her head turned to face it, an eyebrow raising. Who would possibly be at her door at what had to be 11 at night?

Her answer was Cayde's favorite Guardian, who she gazed upon when she opened it. In their right hand, the Ace of Spades, brand new and fresh. The left, what seemed to be a recording device.

As they held out the left hand, their Ghost murmured, "This is for you. From Cayde. You definitely need to hear this."

Lucy slowly took it. "Well...Who else has listened?"

"Zavala and Ikora. You'll understand why when you hear it."

"R...Right. Thanks, Guardian."

As they left, Lucy let the door click close, listening to it creak as she did so. Back another four steps, she sat down in the seat she had just been in a moment ago, clutching the device. Her thumb pressing down on the red button, she leaned on the table, making her helmet resting on it shift in the process.

Cayde's voice warmed her heart, but at the same time made it hard to breath. "Hey, Lucy. Babe. Honey. If you're hearing this...*sigh* You killed me. Normal people would never fathom their wife or husband to kill them, but...Hey, what do I know? I'm just making all these as a precaution.

"I don't know how or why you did it. I bet I was getting consumed by the darkness, and I was better off dead, or in some form of manner, I threatened our kid's life. If it's the latter, don't blame ya. In fact...out of all the people I know, I would particularly love for you to pull the final trigger.

"Even if you didn't kill me, I'm going to leave you three things. My wedding ring, so one day, our little girl can marry a good man with it. All my journals dedicated to all those letters I wrote to Ace. I know they'll be in good hands.

"Finally...I want you to be the next Vanguard. If there's no other option, I wouldn't wish for anyone else but you. You're one of the best Hunters I've ever had, and I'm not saying that cause you're my wife. Well, partly because of that. But mostly because of the whole best Hunter thing.

"Say goodbye to Talli for me, and in return, I'll tell Ace what an amazing stepmother and step-sister he has.

"I love you, Lucy."

Lucy was already crying by the time the recording ran dry, a soft click signalling its end. It clattered out of her hands, coming to a rest on the table. Fingers beginning to lace in her hair, she softly hiccuped, sobbing quietly to not wake up Talli.

She must have been there for hours, since she woke up while leaning on the table. Barely stirring, she groaned as she tried to figure out what exactly woke her.

A tremor confirmed what it was, rattling her every circuit and knocking her right out of her chair. Falling onto the ground, she rolled, whipping out her gun and grabbing her helmet, hurriedly putting it on.

Echo flashed into existence. "Whoa! What was that?"

"I don't know." Lucy looked up at another tremor, the ceiling lamp swaying and dust falling. "But it can't be earthquakes."

Talli came running out of her bedroom, sobbing. "Mommyyyy!"

Lucy pulled her close and tight. "Ssssh, ssssh. I won't let anything hurt you."

"The shadows are moving in my room, Mommy. The bad things are out to get me like they got Daddy!"

Lucy stood up. Was it just her, or were they not alone? There were faint whispers, and something flying through the air smoothly. Whatever was causing it, it was from Talli's room.

Immediately, the woman picked up Talli. "We're going to go see Zavala and Ikora. They'll know what to do."

"O-O-Okay..." Talli held tight with her small fists.

Lucy floored it straight out of the room. Good instinct, too, because she could just barely feel what felt like a clawed hand barely missing the back of her her neck by millimeters, instead softly scraping it with the tip of the blades.

They'll know what to do.

Please, by the Traveler, know what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the vignettes. They weren't much, but explains what happens to one of our beloved characters during the course of five years till the sequel!


End file.
